In many areas of Srinagar where the road widening process is mandatory to accommodate the rush of increasing number of vehicles, the illegal occupation of the roadsides and especially bridges here have been pushing the commuters to the wall. It is unfortunate that the authorities concerned are showing least interest towards removing the illegal encroachment on the roadsides, which are giving a tough time to the people. Every road is being occupied illegally by the shopkeepers, street vendors and other people and even act as if they have allotted the space. The worse situation is being faced by commuters on the old Habba Kadal bridge where both sides are being illegally occupied by commuters as the bridge has turned into an illegal car parking space for some people. Almost every day, the bridge remains jam-packed with the vehicles and thus the people are being pushed to the wall. However, there has been action by the authorities in this regard, despite raising the issue multiple times by the people. It is the time when the illegal occupation on roadsides need to be put to an immediate end and also the bridges are purely kept for the commuters to travel, rather than turning the spaces as parking slots for some persons. The concerned authorities should look into the matter at an earliest and ensure that action against the illegal road occupants is taken soon so that the commuters could heave a sigh of relief.
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